Featured resources

This is a bundle of 11 lessons which cover The Development Gap unit of the new AQA Geography GCSE.
I'd recommend that you have a look at the first 3 lessons, before buying the bundle to check that you like them. They're free.
This unit represents a good 50+ hours of planning.
Save yourself some time.
The unit includes 3 homeworks.

This is a bundle of 13 lessons and covers the "River Landscapes in the UK" specification from the new AQA GCSE. Includes Homeworks.
Also included is the UK Physical Landscapes lesson, (upland and lowland areas). This can be taught before rivers or coasts units, but makes more sense to be taught before rivers.
This unit took well over 50 hours to plan, so please save yourself some time... (and buy me a beer).
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs or Powerpoints are also included.
The examples used are: The River Severn and Bath's Flood Defence Scheme.
Thanks for looking.

This is a bundle of 11 lessons and covers the "Cold Environments" option from the new AQA GCSE. Includes Homeworks and an end of unit assessment.
Also included is a lesson on Sir John Franklin's mission to discover the Northwest Passage. It's not in the spec, but I've always wanted to plan and teach it.
This unit took well over 50 hours to plan, so please save yourself some time... (and buy me a beer).
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included.
The Case Study used for development opportunities and challenges is ALASKA.
Please note: A couple of these lessons require the Arctic with Bruce Parry DVD. (£6-7 from Amazon). It's excellent.
Thanks for looking.

Title: TNCs or Nigeria - Who wins?
Aim: To assess the role of TNCs in Nigeria's development.
AQA GCSE&gt;Challenges in the Human Environment&gt;The Changing Economic World&gt;NEE Case Study
This fully resourced lesson builds towards a 6 mark exam question, which is included as a homework.
First planned and taught: September 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included for those that don't use SMART.

Title: Nigeria - Haunted by the past of exicted by the future?
Aim: To explain how Nigeria's economic and political relationships with the wider world have changed and outline the characteristics of these relationships.
AQA GCSE&gt;Challenges in the Human Environment&gt;The Changing Economic World&gt;NEE Case Study
This fully resourced lesson outlines Nigeria's history from slavery through to the 2015 elections. There's then a data presentation/mapping exercise to illustrate Nigeria's existing international trade partners and finally a focus on Chinese investment in Africa.
First planned and taught: September 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included for those that don't use SMART.

Title: What's the geographical context in Nigeria?
Aim: To better understand the social, cultural, environmental and political context in Nigeria.
AQA GCSE&gt;Challenges in the Human Environment&gt;The Changing Economic World&gt;NEE Case Study
There's a 15-20 minute reading homework also included.
PLEASE NOTE: The main activity in the lesson currently requires both OXFORD and HODDER AQA text books, but could be easily adapted with your own resources.
First planned and taught: September 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included for those that don't use SMART.

Title: How's Nigeria's Economy Changing?
Aim: To record how Nigeria's employment structure has changed and to establish the importance of oil and manufacturing in Nigeria's economic growth.
AQA GCSE&gt;Challenges in the Human Environment&gt;The Changing Economic World&gt;NEE Case Study
Fully resourced lesson with a focus on numerical (3.4.3) and statistical (3.4.4) skills.
First planned and taught: September 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included for those that don't use SMART.

Title: What development opportunities do cold environments like Alaska present?
Aim: To create a case study of ALASKA as a cold environment that highlights development opportunities and evaluates the impacts of these.
HOMEWORK INCLUDED - 9 Mark case study question with plan.
PLEASE NOTE: I recommend you buy 'Arctic with Bruce Parry' DVD to teach this lesson as it's planned here. £6-7 on Amazon. I use it a lot for this Cold Environments unit.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Title: How can Cold Environments be managed?
Aim: To evaluate a range of strategies used to balance the needs of economic development and conservation in Cold Environments.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
Please note: An AQA Geography GCSE textbook (OXFORD) is required for this lesson, but you could adapt it easily to teach without.
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Title: Why isn't everyone rushing to Alaska?
Aim: To create a video outlining 4 challenges to development in Alaska.
HOMEWORK INCLUDED - 9 Mark case study question with plan. (Same as previous lesson, but now it's time to set it).
Worth knowing... This lesson has two parts. The first part is a game I designed which the kids love and you'll use over and over again. This alone can take a lesson. The second part requires them to make group videos outlining challenges to development. We have flip cams at my school, but the students could use their phones. Lego/playdough also helps.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Title: Why should Cold Environments be protected?
Aim: To explain why Alaska is valuable as a wilderness area and be able to advocate for protection of this fragile environment.
Stand alone lesson, fully resourced.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Cold Environments - End of Unit Assessment
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
29 marks. 5 questions with resource sheet and mark scheme/grade boundaries/AFL included.
Easy to mark.
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Title: How have plants and animals adapted to life in cold environments?
Aim: To give named examples of ways both plants and animals have adapted to life in cold environments and to discuss issues relating to biodiversity.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

This is a bundle of 11 lessons and covers the "Cold Environments" option from the new AQA GCSE. Includes Homeworks and an end of unit assessment.
Also included is a lesson on Sir John Franklin's mission to discover the Northwest Passage. It's not in the spec, but I've always wanted to plan and teach it.
This unit took well over 50 hours to plan, so please save yourself some time... (and buy me a beer).
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs are also included.
The Case Study used for development opportunities and challenges is ALASKA.
Please note: A couple of these lessons require the Arctic with Bruce Parry DVD. (£6-7 from Amazon). It's excellent.
Thanks for looking.

Title: What's life like in the Arctic Circle?
Aim: To describe what life is like for people who inhabit the Arctic and what challenges they might face.
PLEASE NOTE: I recommend you buy 'Arctic with Bruce Parry' DVD to teach this lesson as it's planned here. £6-7 on Amazon. I use it a lot for this Cold Environments unit.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Title: Can a painting kill someone?
Aim: To chart Sir John Franklin's expedition of the fabled Northwest Passage and find out what happened to Franklin and his crew.
This is a lesson I've always wanted to plan and teach having studied Franklin when I was at Royal Holloway University. (You'll see the link in the lesson).
I'm a Geography teacher, but this could be easily taught as a History, Art, English or PSHE lesson. I teach it at the end of Year 9, as part of the AQA Geography GCSE and will be included in my Cold Environments bundle.
The lesson is designed for students aged 14 and over and should not be taught by an inexperienced teacher, due to the subject matter of mental health, suicide... and cannibalism.
PGCE students turn back...
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a PDF is also included.
First planned and taught - July 2017

Title - What are the key characteristics of cold environments?
Aim - To describe and explain the main characteristics of cold environments: Climate, permafrost, soils, plants and animals.
AQA GCSE&gt;Living with the physical environment&gt;The living world&gt;Cold Environments
First planned and taught: June 2017
Fully resourced lesson, which includes a research based homework.
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.

Question: How does Bath defend itself from flooding?
Aim: To understand Bath's flood defence scheme and discuss the social, economic and environmental issues arising from it.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK.
I'm a Bath based Geography teacher, whose dissertation had a lot to do with Bath's flood defences... This is a very decent lesson, (the drone video I'm particularly proud of), but in reality GCSE students don't need this much detail.
First Taught - June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.
If you like this lesson the whole unit (14 lessons) is available as a bundle for just £6.

Questions: Why does Bath need flood defences?
Aim: To understand how Bath is an example of an effective flood management scheme.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK.
I'm a Bath based Geography teacher, whose dissertation had a lot to do with Bath's flood defences... This is a very decent lesson, but in reality GCSE students don't need this much detail.
First Taught - June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.
If you like this lesson the whole unit (14 lessons) is available as a bundle for just £6.

This is a bundle of 13 lessons and covers the "River Landscapes in the UK" specification from the new AQA GCSE. Includes Homeworks.
Also included is the UK Physical Landscapes lesson, (upland and lowland areas). This can be taught before rivers or coasts units, but makes more sense to be taught before rivers.
This unit took well over 50 hours to plan, so please save yourself some time... (and buy me a beer).
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but PDFs or Powerpoints are also included.
The examples used are: The River Severn and Bath's Flood Defence Scheme.
Thanks for looking.

Title: What is Soft Engineering?
Aim: To evaluate 4 soft engineering flood management strategies.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK. (But should cover most new GCSE specs)
First Taught - June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.
If you like this lesson the whole unit (14 lessons) is available as a bundle for just £6.

Title - How is hard engineering used to manage river flooding?
Aim - To be able to explain hard engineering techniques and evaluate some of the costs and benefits of these.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK. (But should cover most new GCSE specs)
First taught - June 2017
My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but a pdf is also included.
If you like this lesson the whole unit (14 lessons) is available as a bundle for just £6.

Title: What's so special about the river Severn?
Aim: To identify the major landforms of erosion and deposition on the River Severn.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK. (But should cover most new GCSE specs)
Bored of teaching about the Tees and High Force? Me too. As a teacher based in the South West teaching a more local 'example' makes more sense.
I've also included a PDF of the lesson. I know not everyone uses Smart Notebook.
Thanks for looking.

Title: What landforms are found in a rivers lower course?
Aim: To describe the characteristics of floodplains and explain how levees are formed.
AQA GCSE &gt; Living with the Physical Environment &gt; Physical Landscapes in the UK &gt; River Landscapes in the UK. (But should cover most new GCSE specs)
No textbook required. There's a useful mapwork activity included in the lesson.
Please note. My lessons are planned and taught using Smart Notebook, but I've also included a powerpoint version.